Prologue (3/8/10) (WC: 286)
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How I Came to Write This Book
This story is written as a work of fiction, but there's some essential background the reader should know.
I teach high school English in Podunksville, Iowa. (More about that fascinating place later....) This past May, I challenged the handful of English III students who were going on into my senior Creative Writing Seminar to journal during the summer.
Oh, I was SOOO righteous! "My life is no more busy than yours. Write in your journals all summer long, and I'll write in mine. Every day. The first day we're back in the fall, you all already know what the clichéd English assignment will be..."
A chorus of laughing and groaning student voices did a sing-song chant reminiscent of hundreds of grade school teachers, "What I Did on My Summer Vacation!"
"How I Spent My Summer Vacation!"
"My Summer Vacation."
"Let's turn it into a contest," enthused Aaron, a tall, string bean of a sixteen-year-old boy with a rapier-sharp wit and a keen sense of competition. "The winner of the essay contest can be selected by the entire class. I'll even make the winner a cake with my own two little hands."
Jerry catcalled, "I'd rather have MINE made with flour, eggs, and water..."
I readily agreed. I promised to follow the "one head, one vote" rule scrupulously and to abide by their decisions.
But, as it turned out, an essay just didn't cut it in my case. The BOOK has about 400 pages, uncut, single-spaced...
To read more about Podunksville and the fascinating area that created these beautiful children with such a joye de vivire, all one has to do is simply not skip the Preface!
-- penned August 13, the last Monday before school started this year.
Despina MacKenzie
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Last updated 3/8/10 Corrected the spelling of clichéd, string bean, and sixteen-year-old. Gave up on the pre command as the type face is unbearably UGLY. 6/8/08 - dropped “about” in first line; 3/9/02. 6/13/08 - I just found a print out of the prologue WITHOUT "about", marked "Last dated 3/9/02." Not sure why the on-line version had that still in it...
Word Count: 286
Tuesday, September 4th, 2001 6:52 am (pandemo)
http://pandemo.livejournal.com/22881.html
http://summercircles.livejournal.com/17881400.html